Dismettled

/dɪsˈmɛtəld/ adjective/verb (past tense)

Definition

Deprived of courage, spirit, or confidence; disheartened or discouraged.

Etymology

From dis- (prefix negating action) plus mettle (courage or fortitude), with the past tense -ed suffix; 'mettle' comes from a variant of 'metal' metaphorically referring to a person's inner strength and quality.

Kelly Says

'Dismettled' and 'mettle' share a weird origin—they come from the same root as 'metal,' because medieval English speakers thought of courage as a quality like the strength of steel, giving us a weird metaphor where courage is literally a metal in your spirit.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.